In four years at UConn, Moriah Jefferson was part of a team that won 151 of 156 games while winning four NCAA titles.

The Huskies won their final 75 games in a row and were 122-1 over the last 123 games with Jefferson, Breanna Stewart and Morgan Tuck on the roster.

Contrast that with Jefferson's life in the WNBA: 9-43, including a 2-16 record this season. Her San Antonio Stars had the league's worst record last season and are at the bottom of the WNBA this summer.

For a player who knew nothing but winning, it's been a considerable adjustment.

"I think the biggest thing is just learning how to learn from my mistakes," said Jefferson, whose team will be at Mohegan Sun to face the Connecticut Sun Sunday afternoon. "Not so far as being comfortable with losing because the moment you do that then you get into a [mindset] where it's OK. I think the biggest thing for me is to realize that we have another game in 24 hours, in 48 hours, and that you can't dwell on past, you have to learn from the game before and watch film and get better."

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Jefferson is averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 assists in 13 games, missing the past two games because of concussion protocol. She expects to play Sunday as she returns to the state where she had so much success as the point guard for the best college team in the country.

In San Antonio, she arrived as the second pick in the 2016 draft and managed to a have a strong rookie season (13.9 points, 4.2 assists) on a team that struggled with youth and injuries. Managing the losses was a challenge.

"At UConn, most of our games were blowouts, 30 or 40 points and you just go on," Jefferson said. "But when you lose, you take a lot more time to look at yourself and look at your team and see exactly what it is that you're doing wrong."

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Beyond the losses, Jefferson has been forced to adjust to change. Dan Hughes coached the Stars last season, but he retired and was replaced by Vickie Johnson.

The Stars picked Kelsey Plum with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft and the team's roster is guard-heavy, with Plum, Jefferson and leading scorer Kayla McBride. There's talent, but fitting all the pieces together has been a challenge.

"There have been close games," Jefferson said. "You can tell that's just growing pains, chemistry and small things that we have to pull together. Once that happens I think this is going to be a really good and a really scary team to play against."

A year ago, Jefferson emerged a reliable rookie for Hughes. Speaking to The Courant in March, Hughes said Jefferson is a budding WNBA star.

"She gives you energy," Hughes said. "And not every player gives the coach energy. … She was just so impressive as a person. The mentality and the communication ability, knowing how to take my thoughts to the team or how to come back at me in the right kind of way, I just had never seen in a young player like that."

Jefferson has been dealing with a knee injury, the result of a grueling season in Turkey over the winter. And while her minutes are down — 30.4 last season, 26.1 this season — she has played well against the league's best. She had 24 points against the Los Angeles Sparks and 19 again the Minnesota Lynx last month.

"Games are a lot more physical in this league," Jefferson said. "In order get open, you have to be smart and you can't just do things like you would in college. You have to really think about things before you do it. … Everybody is so long and athletic and so powerful."

And Jefferson said she appreciates her time under Geno Auriemma, Chris Dailey and the UConn staff. Her four years in Storrs prepared her for the rigors of professional basketball.

"They're so disciplined there," Jefferson said. "You get a routine your freshman year. When you get to the [WNBA], nobody's going to make you stay after, nobody's going to tell you that you have to push yourself. They'll just replace you. So I think the biggest thing with that is that you're learning before you get here. You're already self-motivated. Nobody's going to tell you at this level that you have to stay after and make 300 shots. But if you want to do it to get better, then you're going to do it."

Jefferson has signed for another season in Turkey. She averaged 18.2 points for Galatasaray last winter, a season that tested her physically and mentally.

"I definitely hit a wall," Jefferson said. "It was tough. The practice overseas, they run you a lot. It's just a mental state. You have to stay focused on the reasons you're there. You have to work on small things everyday, getting ready for the WNBA season. Of course, everybody likes to get paid. Once you get that check, you're fine."

And that's why WNBA players travel around the world in the offseason — the money is essential to supplement the WNBA salary. Jefferson said she did not experience much of Turkey's culture because of violence in the region.

"You couldn't really go out on your own and do a lot of touristy things," Jefferson said. "But there were a lot of Americans in Turkey, so I got a chance to hang out with them, even if it was just in the apartment. You get used to it. You spend eight months living there and you just kind of vacation in America for the summer."

But she did use the time in Turkey to focus on her game. After the enduring the fatigue of a continuous season — from the rookie season San Antonio to Turkey and back to Texas — she's feeling good.

In fact, she loves the professional life. Jefferson misses Storrs and she hopes to visit the campus when the Stars in in Connecticut, but she loves aiming all of her energy on her vocation.

"It's actually great," Jefferson said. "Seriously. You get a chance to focus a little bit more on your individual skills. . … The adjustment wasn't a big problem at all. As far as practice and free time, I had no problem with that at all. I love it."